1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a conveyor system and particularly to an endless conveyor comprising an endless driving chain having load-supporting slats or rods thereon and adapted for conveying articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A wide variety of endless salt or rod-type conveyor systems have been proposed for conveying various articles. For example, a common endless conveyor comprises a standard roller chain having load supporting rods or slats secured thereon and adapted for moving articles through a path. One typical usage of such conveyors is to move freshly-baked bread through a cooling zone. Conventionally the bread is moved through a spiral path, and possibly additional horizontal or vertical paths, while the bread is cooling. It has been proposed to use a single, endless, chain-type conveyor for this purpose, but the prior apparatuses of this type have been unduly complex and expensive. In particular, the structure of the chain thereof has comprised a large number of interconnected parts capable of permitting various horizontal and vertical flexing movements of the conveyor as it moves through its path of movement. The prior apparatuses of this type have been unduly complex and, therefore, are more expensive to manufacture and require more maintenance than is desired. Further, in many cases, the prior apparatuses have various pockets or dead spaces in which materials, such as bread particles, can collect. This is undesirable because it can cause various difficulties in operation and it is unsanitary. A further problem with the prior art apparatuses has been the difficulty of cleaning same.